West Virginia Food Banks Benefit From Hunters

West Virginia Division of Natural Resources Director Frank Jezioro presented a check to the Mountaineer Food Bank representing $75,000 raised during the fifth annual Governor’s One Shot Deer Hunt, held in December 2011.

The money will go to the Hunters Helping the Hungry Program, administered by WVDNR, to distribute venison to needy families across the state through the Mountaineer Food Bank and other agencies. The donation was made at the Food Bank’s headquarters in Gassaway in May.

The Governor’s One Shot event is sponsored by WVDNR and the One Shot Committee. Private individuals and businesses donate money for the opportunity to participate in guided antlerless deer hunts on private property near Stonewall Resort State Park in Lewis County and end the event with an auction and an award banquet. All venison from the hunt, along with profits from the sponsorships, goes to HHH.

The first event in 2007 raised $17,000, the second in 2008 raised $35,000, the third in 2009 raised $50,000, and the fourth in 2010 raised $75,000.

The HHH program allows hunters to donate legally-harvested deer to certified processors so the meat can be distributed to soup kitchens, food pantries, shelters, senior centers, missions, churches and community centers around the state.

The HHH program has been highly successful since it began in 1992, providing meals to the neediest of West Virginians. However, the program also requires cash donations to pay for processing and distribution costs to benefit these needy individuals.